Are the urology operating room personnel aware about the ionizing radiation?

Abstract

Purpose:We assessed and evaluated attitudes and knowledge regarding ionizing radiation of urology surgery room staff.Materials and Methods:A questionnaire was sent by e-mail to urology surgery room personnel in Turkey, between June and August 2013. The questionnaire included demographic questions and questions regarding radiation exposure and protection.Results:In total, 127 questionnaires were answered. Of them, 62 (48.8%) were nurses, 51 (40.2%) were other personnel, and 14 (11%) were radiological technicians. In total, 113 (89%) participants had some knowledge of radiation, but only 56 (44.1%) had received specific education or training regarding the harmful effects of radiation. In total, 92 (72.4%) participants indicated that they used a lead apron and a thyroid shield. In the subgroup that had received education about the harmful effects of radiation, the use ratio for all protective procedures was 21.4% (n=12); this ratio was only 2.8% (n=2) for those with no specific training; the difference was statistically significant (p=0.004). Regarding dosimeters, the use rates were 100% for radiology technicians, 46.8% for nurses, and 31.4% for other hospital personnel; these differences were statistically significant (p<0.001). No significant relationship between working period in the surgery room, number of daily fluoroscopy procedures, education, task, and use of radiation protection measures was found.Conclusions:It is clear that operating room-allied health personnel exposed to radiation do not have sufficient knowledge of ionizing radiation and they do not take sufficient protective measures.

A Survey Analysis of Knowledge Levels of Urologists About Radiation Safety and Fluoroscopy Use

“…Therefore, it is necessary for urologists, like radiologists, to use dosimeters. In a previous study, the dosimeter usage rate of all staff working in the urology theater was found to be 46.5% [1]. In another study, the proportion of urologists who never used dosimeters was reported as 56% [13] In our study, the proportion of those who used dosimeters was around 20%, lower than the reported rates in literature.…”

“…Concordantly, the use of fluoroscopy has also increased during endourological interventions, especially in stone surgeries. [1] Therefore, surgeons and operating room staff members may be exposed to large amounts of radiation. This exposure has the potential to cause stochastic (mutations, carcinogenesis) and deterministic effects in the affected individuals [2,3].…”

Knowledge and practice of radiation safety among health professionals in Trinidad

“…The evaluation of Urology theatre personnel’s awareness about ionizing radiation in Turkey showed that despite the Turkish Radiation Safety Regulations recommending that an individual cannot exceed their radiation dose limit, only 46.5% of participants used dosimeter badges for monitoring of their exposure. 21 Our population, however, not governed by such regulations, was able to appreciate the necessity for radiation dose badges although their availability and knowledge on their proper use were low.…”

Development and validation of a psychometric scale for assessing healthcare professionals' knowledge in radiation protection

“…Instruments presented in earlier studies assessed awareness, understanding and attitudes regarding ionising radiation and protection individually, but not together [20][21][22] . Previous studies that have presented instruments for measuring radiation protection have been limited to measuring variables categorically or the authors did not provide any information on the validation of the instrument or measured radiographers' and radiography students' awareness of radiation protection but was not applicable for measuring other healthcare professionals' knowledge of radiation safety [20][21][22] . The instrument presented in this study measures healthcare professionals' knowledge in three different areas of radiation, namely, physics and radiation biology, regulation concerning radiation protection, and radiation use in healthcare.…”

“…According to the latest evidence, healthcare professionals do not have sufficient skills to effectively communicate benefit-risk information about paediatric imaging examinations [18][19] . The knowledge, skills and attitudes on radiation protection of healthcare professionals have been measured in multiple studies, all of which applied their own instruments [8][9][10]17,[20][21][22] . Dianati et al (2014) validated a questionnaire and checklist measuring radiation protection knowledge and behaviours by conducting a study with nurses.…”